“Every passing minute is a chance to turn it all around.” Vs. “A leopard cannot change its spots.”
These opposing statements left Aimes Harris in a little bit of quandary.
“Is the reinvention of oneself possible? Can I change it all… let bygones be bygones?”
It was Saturday morning, and it was these questions that occupied Aimes’ thoughts while he gazed at himself through the mirror in his bathroom.
“Everything before… everything… I have fucked it all up. But, today is different. Today I make the drastic change to cleanse my dirty soul. This… this is what I want to believe in. So, why not?
For the past three years, Aimes has been involved in running multiple, illegally acting cult groups. These various cults were driven by the common theme of doing evil deeds, not for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of all, or so they wanted to believe. Aimes was driven and caught up in the whole phenomenon due to his leadership role, and it was not so much the power high as it was a brotherhood-bonding high. Aimes could not help but constantly justify his actions. He was not the type of human being who sought out evil deeds for the purpose of committing sinful acts, but rather, he truly believed in a better way, a way that had principles. He believed in defining right and wrong by a standard of excellence to which he aspired and not with what he could get away.
Three years ago, it was the paralyzed lives of working class citizens in Philadelphia that he felt obliged to disentangle. However, it was the mirror every morning that made him feel guilty about his justifications. From the get-go, Aimes too easily got caught up in the momentum of the organized crime that he began. The standard that became his default was not that to which he aspired. Although, how was he supposed to escape without leaving his friends/followers to fend for themselves? Aimes’ quandary became more complicated because it was not just about himself, and he could not distinguish whether or not the right thing to do was to throw the “baby out with the bath water” for the sake of a new beginning, or hold his current stance for the sake of those that he deemed as his family.
It began with justification, and, with symmetry having its way, it was going to end with justification.
“I’ll be back… I promise that much… but, for now…”
Aimes sang to himself, “I’m gonna move on with the rest of my life. I’m gonna move on with the rest of my life! It’s coming around… This sleepy town… This is the sound of yesterday shutting down!”
Similar to birth, rebirth is an act, just as abrupt.
Yesterday Shutting Down (Lyrics)
By David Ryan Harris
Two more hours and I’ll be gone
And leave my bad, bad deeds to carry on
My train is coming and I wanna ride
Beyond the horizon ‘til it’s gone from sight.
If you let me apologize for what I’ve done
And forgive me I’m not quite what I will become
But if heaven says it is fine then let me slide (get by)
Then give it just one more try
To get it right
Can you hear it creeping?
Can you smell its breath?
I’ve got eight behind me now
And two more left
Oh if you love me Baby
you’ll let me leave
So I can put on my wings and I can get my long overdue release
If you let me apologize for what I’ve done
You gotta forgive me I’m not quite what I will become no
But if heaven says it is fine to let me slide (let you just slide on by)
I’ll give it just one more try (you give it just one more try)
And I believe I’ll get it right
if I leave here tonight
I said I wanna leave here
I wanna leave here
I, I wanna move on with the rest of my life (yeah)
I, I wanna move on with the rest of my life
It’s coming around
(It’s coming around)
This sleepy town
(This sleepy town)
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down
(This is the sound yesterday shutting down)
Let me apologize for everything yeah
All of the pain that the demons in my bottle bring yeah
Y’all but if heaven says it is fine then let me slide
I’m giving it one more try
You know I need a little wind to give me flight (huh)
I think I’m gonna leave here tonight
I’m gonna leave
I’m gonna leave here
I wanna move on with the rest of my life
(I’m gonna move it along)
I wanna move on with the rest of my life
(I’m gonna move it along)
It’s coming around
This sleepy town
(This is the sound)
This is the sound
(This is the sound)
Of yesterday shutting down
It’s coming around
This sleepy town
(This is the sound y’all)
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down (shutting down)
It’s coming around
(It’s coming around)
This sleepy town
(This sleepy town)
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down
(Yesterday put it behind me
I wanna put it behind me)
It’s coming around
It’s coming around
This sleepy town
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down
(Yesterday shutting on down)
It’s coming around
This sleepy town
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down
It’s coming around
This sleepy town
(This sleepy town)
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down
(Ooh Ooh ooh ooh
I been waiting to hear that sound
That is the sound y’all of yesterday shutting on down)
It’s coming around
It’s coming around
This sleepy town
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down
It’s coming around
It’s coming around
This sleepy town
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down
These opposing statements left Aimes Harris in a little bit of quandary.
“Is the reinvention of oneself possible? Can I change it all… let bygones be bygones?”
It was Saturday morning, and it was these questions that occupied Aimes’ thoughts while he gazed at himself through the mirror in his bathroom.
“Everything before… everything… I have fucked it all up. But, today is different. Today I make the drastic change to cleanse my dirty soul. This… this is what I want to believe in. So, why not?
For the past three years, Aimes has been involved in running multiple, illegally acting cult groups. These various cults were driven by the common theme of doing evil deeds, not for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of all, or so they wanted to believe. Aimes was driven and caught up in the whole phenomenon due to his leadership role, and it was not so much the power high as it was a brotherhood-bonding high. Aimes could not help but constantly justify his actions. He was not the type of human being who sought out evil deeds for the purpose of committing sinful acts, but rather, he truly believed in a better way, a way that had principles. He believed in defining right and wrong by a standard of excellence to which he aspired and not with what he could get away.
Three years ago, it was the paralyzed lives of working class citizens in Philadelphia that he felt obliged to disentangle. However, it was the mirror every morning that made him feel guilty about his justifications. From the get-go, Aimes too easily got caught up in the momentum of the organized crime that he began. The standard that became his default was not that to which he aspired. Although, how was he supposed to escape without leaving his friends/followers to fend for themselves? Aimes’ quandary became more complicated because it was not just about himself, and he could not distinguish whether or not the right thing to do was to throw the “baby out with the bath water” for the sake of a new beginning, or hold his current stance for the sake of those that he deemed as his family.
It began with justification, and, with symmetry having its way, it was going to end with justification.
“I’ll be back… I promise that much… but, for now…”
Aimes sang to himself, “I’m gonna move on with the rest of my life. I’m gonna move on with the rest of my life! It’s coming around… This sleepy town… This is the sound of yesterday shutting down!”
Similar to birth, rebirth is an act, just as abrupt.
Yesterday Shutting Down (Lyrics)
By David Ryan Harris
Two more hours and I’ll be gone
And leave my bad, bad deeds to carry on
My train is coming and I wanna ride
Beyond the horizon ‘til it’s gone from sight.
If you let me apologize for what I’ve done
And forgive me I’m not quite what I will become
But if heaven says it is fine then let me slide (get by)
Then give it just one more try
To get it right
Can you hear it creeping?
Can you smell its breath?
I’ve got eight behind me now
And two more left
Oh if you love me Baby
you’ll let me leave
So I can put on my wings and I can get my long overdue release
If you let me apologize for what I’ve done
You gotta forgive me I’m not quite what I will become no
But if heaven says it is fine to let me slide (let you just slide on by)
I’ll give it just one more try (you give it just one more try)
And I believe I’ll get it right
if I leave here tonight
I said I wanna leave here
I wanna leave here
I, I wanna move on with the rest of my life (yeah)
I, I wanna move on with the rest of my life
It’s coming around
(It’s coming around)
This sleepy town
(This sleepy town)
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down
(This is the sound yesterday shutting down)
Let me apologize for everything yeah
All of the pain that the demons in my bottle bring yeah
Y’all but if heaven says it is fine then let me slide
I’m giving it one more try
You know I need a little wind to give me flight (huh)
I think I’m gonna leave here tonight
I’m gonna leave
I’m gonna leave here
I wanna move on with the rest of my life
(I’m gonna move it along)
I wanna move on with the rest of my life
(I’m gonna move it along)
It’s coming around
This sleepy town
(This is the sound)
This is the sound
(This is the sound)
Of yesterday shutting down
It’s coming around
This sleepy town
(This is the sound y’all)
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down (shutting down)
It’s coming around
(It’s coming around)
This sleepy town
(This sleepy town)
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down
(Yesterday put it behind me
I wanna put it behind me)
It’s coming around
It’s coming around
This sleepy town
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down
(Yesterday shutting on down)
It’s coming around
This sleepy town
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down
It’s coming around
This sleepy town
(This sleepy town)
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down
(Ooh Ooh ooh ooh
I been waiting to hear that sound
That is the sound y’all of yesterday shutting on down)
It’s coming around
It’s coming around
This sleepy town
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down
It’s coming around
It’s coming around
This sleepy town
This is the sound of yesterday shutting down